Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson joined a bipartisan group of Members of Congress in sending a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) top official expressing extreme concerns with the use of federal funding for advocacy and lobbying efforts.  EPA funds were recently linked to an advocacy project in Washington State. “As an Idahoan I fully expect to have differences… Read more »

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today announced that the Fiscal Year 2017 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill reverses proposed cuts to Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, and cleanup activities in Idaho. Simpson is Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, which passed the bill through… Read more »

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported H.Res. 639, authorizing an amicus brief—also known as a “friend of the court” brief—to be filed on behalf of the House Representatives in the Supreme Court.  This brief supports the 26 states that filed legal action against President Obama for his infringement on Article I authority over immigration policy in the case, U.S. v. Texas.  It… Read more »

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today examined the President’s FY17 budget proposal during a House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee hearing with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Neil Kornze. Simpson, who is the vice-chair of the subcommittee, took the opportunity to question Kornze on important issues facing Idaho. During the hearing Congressman Simpson… Read more »

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson offered the following statement regarding today’s announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that the Greater Yellowstone Area Grizzly Bear is fully recovered and no longer warrants listing under the Endangered Species Act: “For more than three decades, local, state, and federal partners have worked together to revive the population of the Greater… Read more »

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported H.R. 4557, the Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns (BRICK) Act which passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 238-163. The bill would extend the compliance dates pending the completion of judicial review for the Brick Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) air quality rule issued by EPA that sets strict standards for… Read more »

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson today supported legislation protecting Americans’ access to hunting, fishing and shooting on public lands.  H.R. 2406, the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act, would ensure federal land managers continue to allow reliable access to public lands and protect Second Amendment rights. H.R. 2406 passed the House of Representatives… Read more »

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson’s H.R. 812, the Indian Trust Asset Reform Act, passed by voice vote in the House of Representatives. The bill would modernize the federal government’s role in managing Indian trust property by allowing tribes to manage their own assets through negotiated demonstration projects with the Department of Interior. “This legislation is a step forward for tribes… Read more »

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson signed an amicus curiae, or “friend of the court” brief in support of 27 states that challenged the Environmental Protection Agency’s rule on existing power plants. The Clean Power Plant rule was recently stayed by the U.S. Supreme Court and is awaiting further consideration by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia.  “I am… Read more »

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to temporarily block one of the EPA’s rules regulating carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants. “The Obama Administration’s rules impose a regulatory structure on our nation’s energy sector that is simply not viable, and even worse, it forces the American people to foot the… Read more »